


Genuine #1

by cjmarlowe



Category: Popslash
Genre: AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-08-19
Updated: 2002-08-19
Packaged: 2018-05-31 13:13:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6471250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cjmarlowe/pseuds/cjmarlowe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The adventures of AJ the pop star and Justin the fanboy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Genuine #1

**Author's Note:**

> Co-authored with Jawamonkey.

Justin tugged at the shiny fabric clinging to his body as he eyed the large--no, huge--men standing around the VIP section of the club. And he certainly wasn't the only one looking. Not only was his friend Trace being pressed up against his side by the dozen or two girls surrounding them, all trying to get closer, but people all over the club were shooting regular glances over to see when someone would emerge. 

Right when Justin leaned to get a better look for himself he felt Trace shove him low on his back. He stumbled forward, not onto his face, thank god, but far enough in front of the thick of the crowd to catch the attention of one or two the guards. Not exactly the impression he'd planned on making, when he'd heard that two of the Backstreet Boys were actually maybe probably going to be showing up at his favorite club. But hey, it was better than not being noticed at all. He smiled the smile he thought of as _Disarming #4_ at the bodyguards, and tried to peek around them. 

They moved closer together, like he looked like he was planning to make a mad dash right through them to the other side, some kind of twisted game of Red Rover. If he made it through, was he allowed to bring a Backstreet Boy back out with him? The thought made him smile bigger, and probably foolishly, which just made the bodyguards grow even sterner. 

A moment later, before Justin could get swallowed by the crowd again, there was a bit of a commotion behind the bodyguards, then they parted to let a group of people out onto the dance floor. 

It was just a lot of really awfully-dressed girls, though--scraps of clothes that barely hid anything and layers of makeup that he just knew had to cover really bad skin. He looked away, disappointed, until he felt Trace nudge him urgently. He looked back up to see the people they were looking for--well, _he_ was looking for, really, but Trace humored him. Right there, in the flesh. 

They stood there on the shallow steps and surveyed the crowd before stepping anywhere near it. Any hope he had that his earlier stumble had gone unnoticed was lost when Nick Carter looked his way and gave him a condescending smirk. 

It didn't stop his breath from catching a little, though. Nick was as beautiful as he'd always been. Justin returned the smirk, too, doing his best to look like he hadn't been hanging out at the sidelines waiting for them, casual slouch of the shoulders and all. 

Nick's eyes didn't leave him for a moment, then when they finally did it was just to push past and trail after his pack of cheap women. It was only once he was gone that Justin realized AJ McLean had been right behind him, much less flamboyant about his entrance. 

"Ignore him," AJ said, and it took Justin a second to realize that AJ was talking to _him_. "He fell flat on his face right before he got on stage at last night's show." Then AJ gave him a quick smile, any expression in his eyes hidden behind dark glasses, and headed on his way behind Nick. 

"Oh, wait," Justin said quickly. Having Trace standing behind him, ready to tease him for losing his nerve, helped him get the words out. He caught AJ's sleeve, then let go just as quickly when those huge bodyguards moved closer. "Wait. Hey. Hi. AJ. I'm...a really huge fan--Justin, my name's Justin. And, um, I'm from Orlando too." 

He heard Trace laughing out loud behind him, but he refused to blush. Making the first move, that was the only way to get what you wanted. 

AJ turned around and waved the bodyguards off, gracing Justin with a smile again--the very same one, obviously well-rehearsed. "Good to know you didn't have to travel very far to come to this club, then," he said, which just made Trace laugh harder. "It's nice to hear from the male fans. Did you want an autograph or something?" 

"How about a dance?" Justin replied bravely, moving a little closer. "If you, you know. Do that." He really couldn't read AJ that well--not like Nick, who just _screamed_ closet fag--but he could at least try. 

AJ's smile changed, becoming more of a smirk but nothing like Nick's. "Here?" he said, lifting his eyebrows over the frames of his sunglasses. But Justin didn't back down, not now, and even Trace grew silent behind him. "Sure, come on along, there's a bunch of us." Justin's smile grew, and AJ tilted his head to the side, still looking at him. "Do I know you from somewhere? You look a little familiar." 

"Good line," Justin teased lightly, but still tucked his chin and let one of the curly ringlets on the top of his head fall down over his eye, obscuring his face. It was very possible AJ _did_ recognize him, from that dumb show he'd done when he was a kid, but he hoped not. Sometimes the strangest people remembered that. 

"Guess not then," said AJ, his smile evening out again. "Coming?" He angled his head toward the dance floor, where Nick wasn't so much dancing with his partner as fucking her upright, then started off in that direction. 

Justin turned to Trace and smiled, _Satisfied #2_ , then quickly caught up. He touched AJ's back with the tips of two fingers and didn't take them away, either, even after AJ looked questioningly back over his shoulder; just shrugged and said, "Tell me to stop." 

He knew he was pushing it, but given the way AJ was reacting to him he felt like he could. And AJ never did say "stop", instead said just, "Be careful," and led them to the group already on the dance floor. The group that had grown substantially, fans and hangers-on and groupies all clinging to the fringes. Nick was obviously surprised to see Justin there, which gave Justin all the satisfaction he needed on that count. 

He didn't gloat, though, wanting to show some respect for AJ since he'd been--at least up until then--really nice to him. He even moved a safer distance away, and smiled at a slight girl who looked less trashy than the rest. She smiled back, and that was all it took; he wrapped an arm low around her hips--casually, still--and started moving with the song. 

AJ's approving look was just a bonus, really; not something he'd let himself expect. And it was AJ who stayed close, wrapped in women who just seemed to want to touch him or rub themselves against him. Justin wondered what it would be like, to have people be that shallow about you, then flushed for a moment as he realized in that way he was a lot like them. He was just smarter and more respectful about it. 

Justin's friends always told him that he was just awful at showing people up with his dancing like he couldn't stand to not be the best dancer in the room. Which, well, was true, and having some of the Backstreet Boys there on top of that--on the one hand, he _really_ didn't want to look like a geek by trying too hard, but on the other hand, he still wanted to impress them. His dancing, if nothing else, would impress them. It impressed some of the other girls, too, who began looking at him like _he_ was someone special. And the girl he was dancing with looked plenty pleased with herself. 

He smiled at her, flirtatiously, 'cause a little of that never hurt anyone. But a moment later he was glancing over his shoulder at AJ again, and was more pleased by the fact that AJ was looking back than by anything else. He knew he looked good, had picked out the right clothes, done his hair right, done everything right to get himself noticed. And it had worked. 

Justin didn't want to go overboard, but if AJ kept looking at him, he was going to keep doing things to keep his attention. So he pressed a little closer to his dance partner, then slipped around behind her. Suddenly he had a much better view of what AJ was doing, or having done to him, and the new position let AJ see the way Justin had his hands on the girl's hips, moving them in rhythm with his own. If he was lucky, it let AJ know exactly what Justin would be doing with him, if they were able. On the dance floor or off. 

AJ seemed to get the message, licking his lips before tearing his eyes away. He focused on the girl right in front of him but shortly let his gaze skid away, obviously looking for someone who could hold his attention. A few moments later, his eyes found Justin again. 

Justin smiled slowly-- _Come hither #8_ , there were a lot of those--but then broke eye contact himself. AJ had told him to be careful, and he'd already made whatever impression he was going to make that night. There was nothing to be gained by pushing it. He closed his eyes instead and let his head fall forward a little, grinning to himself when his partner raised her arms back over her head and wrapped them around Justin's neck. He let his own hands drift lower in return. 

He kept on like that for a while, first with her, then with the one that replaced her when she drifted off the dance floor with a soft kiss to his neck. He knew people were watching him and he loved it, loved knowing that he was the center of attention. Or at least as close to it as he could be, with a couple of Backstreet Boys at center stage. 

He kept on until he felt a distinctly masculine hand on his back. Looking over his shoulder he saw, not AJ, but Nick. "AJ says to tell you we're going now," he said, for Justin's ears only. Justin looked around but AJ was nowhere to be found. His heart began to sink, but then Nick went on, "Back door. Hurry; don't go thinking we'll wait for you." He shrugged, as though indifferent as to whether Justin came along or not, then melted away again. 

With both of them gone, along with his dance partner, Justin allowed himself a moment of hesitation.. AJ had _sent_ Nick to get him, obviously, but that didn't mean...didn't mean anything. Didn't mean he was necessarily interested. And didn't mean they'd end up doing anything if he was. Then he shook himself out of it--"The risk is worth the reward," he told himself--and shrugged sheepishly at Trace as he headed in the general direction Nick had taken. Trace just made an obscene gesture that made sure Justin's cheeks were burning as he caught up with Nick. 

"Here's how it works," said Nick, looking back over his shoulder only long enough to confirm it was Justin who was there. "'Cause Aje is a dumbass about remembering to tell people shit. Don't touch him when anyone's watching. Don't be obvious. Leave when he tells you to--don't beg, it's tacky. And don't talk about it after. Clear?" 

Justin stumbled again, surprised at Nick's matter-of-fact tone, even though he knew he shouldn't have been. And surprised at himself, a little--he was never this klutzy. It was just all so...really happening. "I don't..." he started, then tried to speak louder when Nick shook his head impatiently at him and gestured that he couldn't hear. "What am I supposed to do?" 

Nick paused to roll his eyes at him and grabbed Justin's sleeve, tugging him closer. "We're going back to the hotel," he clarified for him, as though Justin should've figured that out by now. Like Justin was supposed to somehow know that they stayed in hotels even in Orlando, when they were touring. "If you don't know what to do when we get there, maybe you're in over your head, little boy." Then he smirked again and let him go. 

Justin bit his lip once more, his cheeks flushed all over again, and he wished violently that it was AJ telling him this and not Nick. "Where did AJ go?" he asked calmly, trying to collect himself and look like he _did_ know what he was doing. "I mean, why isn't he telling me this?" 

"In the other limo, already on his way to the hotel. What, did you think you could show up together?" said Nick impatiently. When Justin looked up at the door, he could see a huge bodyguard waiting there with a skanky, stacked blonde, but not the one he'd seen Nick dancing with earlier, both of them looking bored and as impatient as Nick. "Are you coming or not?" 

Justin nodded. "Who's that?" he asked. He couldn't help it, with the questions; he was naturally curious. And always wondered what it would have been like, if things had worked out for _him_ , too. "And, um. Does that mean...so AJ wanted me to come, huh." 

"Yes, already," he said with a sigh. "Though if he'd known how much you talk I doubt he would've. Too late now. So?" When Justin didn't answer right away, he whirled around and joined his blonde at the door. "We're leaving." 

"I'm coming," Justin mumbled. He watched Nick slip into the backseat first, leaving Justin to feel responsible enough to hold out his arm to help the blonde inside before he climbed in after. "And, um, I'm Justin," he added, once the door was closed. 

"I didn't ask," muttered Nick, putting on a pair of sunglasses even though it was darker in the limo that it had been inside the club, or even outside. The blonde, though, at least gave him an appreciative smile even though she didn't introduce herself. When Nick began to grope her clumsily, Justin realized the ride couldn't be over fast enough to suit him. 

He kept his hands on his knees, rubbing his thumbs against the worn leather of his pants, and looked out the window the whole way. It wasn't that he didn't have a good idea of what he was doing--he'd heard the stories, and even some of his close friends had fucked stars before--he was just a little surprised at how cut-and-dry it seemed. And that AJ, who'd seemed really nice in the club, didn't really care enough to ask him himself. 

"You can take the freight elevator up," said Nick suddenly when the limo came to what felt like an abrupt. Justin was surprised to hear his voice, considering the only thing that had come from Nick's direction the entire trip was the occasional grunt. "Ed will take you. See you in the morning." He smirked and snorted in amusement. "Maybe." 

"Okay," Justin nodded, finding some reserve of strength or bravery for his voice. He held out his hand, too--just because Nick was being rude, and full of himself, didn't mean Justin had to sink to his level. Always polite, even in rejection. Another good rule to live by. "Thanks for getting me, I guess." 

Nick looked like he didn't know what the hell Justin was doing at first, then finally shook it very briefly. "That's how it works," he said, which didn't make any sense to Justin but obviously made some sense to Nick. A moment later he and the blonde slipped away and Justin was alone. 

Closing his eyes, he ran a shaky hand through his curls; when he looked up again, one of the large men from the club was standing outside the limo door. "Um, hi," he said, his voice smaller again. He cleared his throat. "Ed?" 

And there it was. The last person he'd expected to do it gave him a smile. "Yeah," the man said, extending a hand to help Justin out of the vehicle. "Come on, kid, I'll show you the way. AJ's waiting." 

"Hi; thanks." Justin grinned back in relief-- _Really real shit-eating #1_. "Thanks, man." He straightened his shirt when he stood up, couldn't help but notice that Ed didn't blink twice at his outfit: the tight pants, the sleeveless shirt, the glitter on his neck and in his hair. "Um. I'm Justin." 

"Ed," he said with a nod of his head. "Obviously. I'll take you right up to his room, he likes it better that way." So obviously AJ had done this before, and probably often. Of course he had. "Ready to go?" 

"Sure," Justin nodded in return, and matched Ed's casual but quick pace as they walked toward the back of the hotel. He wanted to ask more about AJ, but figured that would be one of the other things that Nick could have told him wasn't 'cool' to do. Instead, he hummed a little, the way he always did when he was nervous, and gave Ed a smile more confident than he felt every time the large man turned around to make sure he was following. 

He'd never seen these parts of a hotel before, not even that time that he and Trace had snuck into one to try to catch a glimpse of Britney Spears that time. The back kitchen, these massive storage spaces and finally the freight elevator. "We're on the fifteenth floor," he told Justin conversationally. "You're looking for room 1540, in case somehow you manage to lose me between here and there." 

"Thanks," he said again, wrapping his arms around himself as the cool air in the elevator made his skin prickle. "So, um. Are you AJ's bodyguard? Or like, do you do something else." Justin was talkative on a good day; when he was nervous, it only got worse. 

Ed shook his head. "AJ's bodyguard came back with him," he said. "Mike. I usually work with Kevin, but he's already tucked in for the night." He paused. "If you know what I mean." 

"Oh, right," Justin nodded, hopefully looking knowledgeable. "I didn't know his wife toured with them." Then a thought occurred to him and he blinked at Ed. "Or is that...not what you meant." 

Ed smirked and just shook his head. "Well, here we go, kid," he said as the door finally opened. Justin expected him to point him on his way, but Ed did, in fact, stay by his side all the way to AJ's door. 

"Is there a secret knock?" Justin chuckled uncomfortably, blushing again and hanging a little behind Ed. Wondering if AJ would look out the peephole and change his mind. Or worse, pretend like he'd never asked him to got to the hotel. Or _worse_ , maybe he _hadn't_ at _all_ , and it was Nick's idea of a joke...He started breathing a little quicker. 

Ed looked at him strangely, almost amused, and reached past him to rap on the door before Justin could do it himself. Or _not_ do it, as the case may have been. "There," he said, and turned to leave. "Take care, kid, I've got a post to get back to." 

"Well, okay, nice to meet you, Mister...Ed. Sir." His eyes opened wide when he realized just how immature he did sound, and turned away quickly from Ed's laughing eyes...only to find himself staring into AJ's just as he opened the door. 

His face was blank at first, and every fear Justin had had came rushing back to him, but a moment later he smiled brightly. "You came," he said, opening the door to the hotel room--no, suite--wider. "I was worried you wouldn't. Come on in." 

"Hey again," Justin said quietly, taking a breath and walking into the suite, careful not to touch AJ as he moved past him. "And here I was, worried that maybe Nick was playing a joke on me." He paused in the middle of the room and turned back to face AJ. "Guess not." 

"Guess not," agreed AJ, closing and then locking the door behind them. "He wasn't a dick, was he?" He snorted and didn't let Justin answer, though. "No, of course he was a dick. But not too bad, I hope?" 

"He...didn't really talk to me," was what Justin finally settled on saying. It wouldn't impress anyone for him to whine about it. "He...told me what was expected of me, I guess, and that was kind of it." He shrugged and turned around in a slow circle, taking in the furniture and the space and the lights. "I like your room." 

"He told you...what?" said AJ, surprising Justin by laughing. "Please tell me he didn't say anything about how you should pretend to like it when I pull the handcuffs and gag out. That's what he told this one guy once; I'm surprised he still showed up. Actually, I think he might've been disappointed when I didn't actually do it." 

"No, no...handcuffs, he just said to...leave when you said. So, what should I...?" He gestured at the bed, then gestured at himself, then decided to just start taking his shirt off. He didn't want to look like he didn't know what he was doing. 

AJ came right up to him, though, and buttoned it back up. 

Justin was mortified for a moment, but AJ didn't look mad or disgusted or anything. "Yes, I want to sleep with you," AJ said, quietly now that they were right next to each other, touching. "But we don't have to hop right into bed. Nick's full of shit, and he better not have made you think that. Now. Do you want a drink?" 

"Are you having one?" Justin murmured, when he'd found his voice again. "I don't...really need it, but I will if you are." He crossed his arms over his chest again and shifted his weight onto his other leg. "Maybe...maybe you could tell me what else you expect of me. So I don't make another mistake." He kept his chin high, though, refusing to be embarrassed for that. 

"Justin, jeez," said AJ, letting go of him and going over to the full bar built into one wall. "Nick really did a number on you, huh? Look, if you don't think this is gonna be fun for you, you're free to go any time. I'm really not into messing with people against their will, or because they're here for the wrong reasons." He poured the drinks and turned around, one in each hand. "However, if you'd like to stay, I'm happy to have you here." 

"Oh, Nick who?" Justin replied, giving AJ a little bit cockier smile. He'd remembered his name; Justin had been worried he hadn't. "You're a little hard to read, you know. I didn't...I wasn't sure you were interested. Until you left," he chuckled. 

"It was a club," said AJ with a shrug, handing Justin his drink. "A guy has to be careful about these things. Damn but I couldn't keep my eyes off you, though. You were the sexiest thing in there...and I bet you knew it, too." 

"Not really," Justin murmured, but he didn't bother to sound too humble. "I was trying to behave around you, by the way. Subtlety's not usually my...thing." 

"If you hadn't tried to behave," AJ told him matter of factly, sipping his drink, "we wouldn't be here. I would have had to pretend I didn't notice you. So your...friend...that you were there with, he doesn't mind that you came here to meet me?" 

Justin picked an ice cube out of his glass and sucked on it lightly. "Hmm? Trace? Oh, no. He'll laugh at me tomorrow, that's about it." He smiled and put his drink down. "And then I'll laugh at him, when I tell him you thought he was gay." 

AJ smiled back and sipped again. "Well, he did have his hands all over you," he pointed out. "Remind him of _that_ , if he gets all indignant." He shook his head, looking away for a moment. "Nick gets really surly if you suggest he's gay. That's probably why it's so much fun to do." 

"That's not nice," Justin admonished, but let his mouth curve into a slow, wry smile -- _Don't believe a word I say, #3_. He thought he would very much like to see AJ teasing Nick. "No one should feel embarrassed about their sexuality. Even if they're all...repress-y about it." 

"Okay, okay," said AJ easily, finishing the drink and setting his own glass aside. "The guy spent the years between fifteen and eighteen teasing me about the very same thing, though, ever since he found...well, nevermind. I'm sure I'm boring you." 

"Oh, you're not," Justin breathed, probably sounding more star-struck than he had yet. "And you don't have to apologize. I just...he's young, you know?" He ran a casual hand through his curls again, and tried to look old enough to have the right to say something like that. 

AJ looked at him appraisingly. "You sound like you're speaking from experience," he said finally, sounding remarkably serious about it. "He is young. He's very young. You don't know the half of it." 

"Maybe," Justin said non-committally, then ducked his head again. Keeping his curly hair long on top had its advantages sometimes. He just...didn't really want to be recognized. He wanted to be _noticed_ , but not recognized. 

"Look, you're all nervous," said AJ good-naturedly. "I want you to have a good time here. It's more fun when it's _more fun_. You sure you don't want that drink? It'll help." 

"I'm cool," Justin murmured, tugging on a ringlet. But he picked his glass back up anyway and swallowed half its contents. "Still just kind of surprised to be here, I guess." He was trying to come across as really casual, but he knew his eyes were bright and his body looked really...eager. 

AJ smiled like he'd heard that before. "Why don't you come here, then," he suggested, motioning him over towards himself, towards the bed. "And let me help you relax a little. You do want to be here, right, Justin?" It was less a question now than it was gentle teasing. 

Justin nodded and walked toward AJ, blushing as AJ started walking backwards. 

"Yeah, that's it," murmured AJ as Justin followed, hoping he wouldn't go and stumble again. "I'm just a guy, Justin. A guy who's really, really turned on by you, if that helps at all..." 

"You don't have to say that," Justin smiled, shaking his head and trying futilely to catch up with AJ before he reached the mattress. "I haven't even gotten to touch you, yet." 

"Well then hurry up," said AJ, finally reaching up to take his sunglasses off. It was the first chance Justin'd had to actually see his eyes. "I'm right here, Justin." 

"Tell me if there's something I'm not allowed to do," Justin warned him, reaching out to touch AJ's waist before sinking down onto the bed, one leg tucked underneath him. 

"Sure," said AJ, reaching out to touch his hair unexpectedly, "as long as you do the same thing. Nick gets off on playing the star in the bedroom, Justin, but I don't. Like I said...just a guy...and I _assume_ you've done this before. I have to tell you--we don't have many male fans who haven't." 

"I have," Justin laughed lightly, trying not to feel cheaper at being lumped into that kind of category so easily. Even if he did belong there. "That must be awkward, though." 

"Awkward how?" asked AJ, quite sincerely, sitting down on the bed next to him. "God. You're so fucking beautiful, Justin." 

"Thank you," breathed Justin, caught off guard by the smooth compliment, feeling himself flush a little each and every time AJ said his name. He bit his lip and reached out to touch AJ's shoulder, rubbing his thumb over the design of one of his tattoos. "I just meant...awkward, if someone came up here who really _didn't_ know what they were doing." 

AJ just laughed, though. "Yeah," he agreed. "It can be. Like I told you, I'm not into being with anyone who doesn't want _this_. Sometimes I'll just have a couple drinks with them and send them off with an autograph and they can honestly say they came up to my hotel room, if they want to. Sometimes they're just shy and want to learn, and if I'm in a pretty patient mood that's fun to do. But it's always easier if they're experienced. Then I _know_ they know what they want." 

"And you pegged me for knowing what I want?" Justin murmured, leaning in a little closer and tilting his head like he was examining the tattoo. 

"You know what you want," said AJ confidently. "I can see it in the way you move. In the way you smile." He leaned in closer himself. "Of course, it may have been a little wishful thinking on my part, that someone as hot as you wanted to come back to my room with me." 

Justin lowered his eyes flirtatiously. "You'll make me blush," he warned, then ran his thumb from where it had paused on AJ's shoulder up to his collarbone, trailing lightly around the back of his neck and then back down along his jawline. "You really don't need to flatter me any more than you have, just by the invite, man." 

"Maybe I just _want_ to see you blush," teased AJ. There was a brief silence where everything felt still, then AJ leaned in and finally planted a firm, confident kiss on Justin's lips. "I don't get to make guys blush very often." 

"I find that very, very hard to believe," Justin replied, licking his lips and tasting the soda from AJ's drink. "I bet you get to make guys do whatever you want them to. Not because...I just meant because you're very...smooth. Not because you're .... because of who you are." 

"Most guys don't blush at all," AJ pointed out, wrapping an arm around him. "Most guys just grunt and try to shut me up. Usually the blushers are the kids who've never been in _any_ guy's bedroom before, let alone someone whose very presence makes them practically cream themselves." 

"Well, at least some of us can hide it a little better," Justin joked, letting his finger trace along AJ's goatee, from his jaw to his mouth. 

"I get the feeling you aren't quite that awed by me," said AJ, his eyes growing so intense when Justin looked at them. If AJ was able to do _that_ to a person, with just a look, it was probably for the public's own good that he wore his sunglasses most of the time. "I like that about you, Justin." 

"Um," Justin said intelligently, dropping his eyes to AJ's mouth. Which didn't affect him any less. "That was kind of an act. The not-being-awed thing." He closed his eyes and was the one to kiss AJ this time, with gently demanding lips. 

"That's the thing about awe," said AJ when Justin had pulled away again, his own lips parted and wet now, looking like he really was interested in Justin as more than just a warm body. "If you're really that awed, you can't act like you're not." 

"Are you calling me a liar?" Justin gasped softly, before letting his lips curl into one of his more sultry smiles. _Kiss-worthy and older than my 21 years, #2_.' He started playing with the buttons on his shirt again. 

"I might be," said AJ, his fingertips slipping just inside the waist of Justin's tight pants. "Or I might just think you're mistaken. You've never seen the kinds of people I've had before, scared out of their pants just about." 

"Ah, instead of something else-d out of their pants?" Justin whispered, arching his back just enough to give AJ an inch or two more space. This, this felt a little more normal. More what he was used to. AJ certainly wasn't acting like he was God's gift. But maybe that was what he had meant all along, by saying he was going to help Justin relax. 

AJ's hand did slip further down, and he leaned in for another kiss, just like if Justin had picked up some random guy in a bar. A bit more tender, even; AJ seemed used to putting people at ease with him. "That's better," he murmured against Justin's cheek, his breath hot. 

"Am I allowed to take this off yet?" he asked coyly, tugging at his own collar like it was suffocating him, leaning a little more teasingly into the space near AJ's body. "I don't know if I can take being rejected again." 

"Shh," said AJ, reaching for the buttons himself with his one free hand. "Not rejected. And isn't it better now, anyway? Isn't now a better time to be getting naked with me, Justin?" 

Justin dropped his own hand back down to the bed, then used both of them to brace himself on the mattress. His cock, stirring and half-hard since AJ'd offered him the drink, filled even more at hearing AJ say 'naked' in his throaty voice. 

AJ swiftly unbuttoned Justin's shirt and let it fall off one of his shoulders. The glitter on Justin's skin there glinted and he was momentarily embarrassed for how he'd dressed up to be noticed. 

"I'm gonna pretend that's just for me," said AJ, leaning in to kiss his shoulder, pulling Justin's shirt the rest of the way off at the same time. Then he slid his hand out of the back of Justin's pants and around front, to cup him gently. "I think some of us are _very_ ready, now." 

"I told you there was awe," replied Justin, bucking slowly into AJ's hand. "Um. I...assume you have stuff? I didn't..." He looked down at his lap. "Not with these pants." 

"Of course I do," said AJ easily, and yes, of course he did. He probably had it supplied _for_ him. "And that's not awe, Justin, that's lust. I should know." 

Justin looked at AJ with a raised eyebrow before laying back slowly on the bed. His hand fell idly on his own stomach so he started tracing the line of his muscle there, the valley of his navel. "It's a little bit of awe, though," he insisted. 

"Yeah, speaking of a little bit of awe," said AJ, and it wasn't Justin's face he was staring at now. "So what do you do, Justin? Do you fuck or do you get fucked or are you strictly a blowjob man?" It could have been crude but it wasn't, just felt like a necessary question. But one Justin hadn't expected to be asked. 

Even as much as he'd fantasized about this happening, it had always faded to black at this point. It wasn't that he didn't like sex, and didn't want to think about it, he'd just...always assumed the star would call the shots. 

"I've done a lot," he said finally. Done enough to know that he'd be obviously wrong if he'd said he'd done it all. "All of those." 

"Do you top, much?" asked AJ after a long, slightly awkward moment. As he asked, he was also busy undoing Justin's pants, trying to tug them down. 

"Sure," said Justin, cocking his head. He'd always gotten more compliments on his hips than his ass, anyway. He was just surprised that was what AJ was leaning toward asking for. Unless .... not many of the boys he met did. Top. 

After a minute of watching AJ struggle with the leather, he touched AJ's wrist softly and took over. He felt a little on display as AJ pulled away to just watch him, but surprisingly more comfortable than he had been most of the evening. He was confident in the way his body looked more than he was confident in his ability to make small talk. Hooking his thumbs in his pants, he arched lightly off the bed to work them down over his hips. And fought a blush at the way his cock just sprang in the air when he got the material past it, shivering a little as the air hit it. 

"So you might be interested in topping me, then? Tonight?" AJ asked, finally whipping his own shirt off over his head. 

"Sure," he said again, trying to keep his voice casual but knowing he sounded eager regardless. "Do you...not, or do you just like it the other way better?" He realized when the words were out of his mouth that it wasn't really his business. "Or, um, is this where you say 'don't worry about that, Justin'?" 

AJ sighed and for just a moment, his eyes looked way, way older than he really was. "Hard to find anyone who's...not _good_ at it, but...who seems worthy of my trust. So, still interested?" He didn't wait for an answer before starting to unbutton his own pants. 

"Well, duh," Justin breathed, even knowing how much it betrayed his age. He was too busy watching avidly as AJ undressed to care. "I'll try to make it good for you. You...you seem like you deserve to get laid well." 

AJ looked up at him, his pants only tugged down to mid-calf, and laughed. "My god," he said, looking--no, staring--into Justin's face. "That may just be the nicest, most sincere thing anyone's said to me in a very long time." 

Justin smiled, pleased. "So, want to tell me where I can find stuff? Or..." he blinked. "Or, um. I guess you don't necessarily want me poking around in your shit, huh." 

"I can get everything," said AJ, hopping off the bed and almost toppling over when he forgot that his pants weren't quite off. He kicked them down over his feet then turned back to Justin. "Okay, if you aren't convinced I'm a mere mortal _now_ , you never will be." 

Justin smiled hesitantly, then rolled back over to turn down the lamp and pull back the sheets. It was such a nice room, nice comforter, nice everything. "I tripped twice in front of Nick tonight," he admitted. 

"Twice?" AJ echoed him as he disappeared into the bathroom. "Well, I'm sure he'll be sharing _that_ with me tomorrow in between stories of his--" His head popped out the bathroom door for a second, looking back toward Justin. "Did he pick the blonde or the redhead?" 

"It was _a_ blonde," Justin replied, rolling over onto his stomach and kicking his feet up in the air. "She seemed nice enough. I asked him who she was and he ignored me. You think he probably forgot her name?" 

"If he even knew it," muttered AJ, disappearing back into the bathroom again. A few moments later he came back out again with what he'd gone in for in the first place. "Hey, I forgot to say, but you know that the stuff I tell you in here can't get out, right?" 

Justin snorted--that certainly wasn't the first time he'd heard _that_. Even before Nick had spelled it out, he'd practically grown up with that policy; some of the older kids on the show were pretty messed up. "Don't worry," he murmured, though, not wanting to sound too jaded about the whole thing. "I'm not dumb." 

"I know," said AJ, nodding and actually looking like he'd taken the comment seriously. "But I just have to say, to cover my ass. You can imagine what could happen if I don't." He crawled right back up onto the bed and gave Justin a long kiss, handing him everything. 

"You've kinda been doing this for a while," Justin pointed out, as soon as AJ released his lips. "You really...is it really hard to find someone to do what you want done to you, in bed?" 

"Without paying for it?" said AJ bluntly, looking him right in the eye. "Yes. I get the enthusiasm, sure, but not the talent. Some of the people I get up here I wouldn't let get anywhere _near_ my ass. And half are women anyway. So yeah...it really is hard for me to find someone to fuck me when I'm in the mood. Surprised?" 

"A little," Justin nodded, knowing he was blushing again. He knew AJ wasn't trying to intimidate him, but he really did want this to be good for him. Wanted him to be impressed. Wanted to be someone he'd remember. 

"If you want to back out," said AJ slowly, "you can say so, I don't bite." 

"Oh, no, I'm _so_ not," said Justin, tugging AJ close in response and daring to put a possessive hand on his bare ass. "I think you can see I'm not. Just...a little performance anxiety." 

"If your performance on the dance floor means anything," said AJ confidently, sliding his body against Justin's, "you're going to be very, very good at this." 

Justin was still most definitely nervous, but AJ was sleek and sexy and experienced, and if he had faith in Justin... He slipped his other hand down AJ's back then used both of his arms to hitch him a little higher against him. A little closer to his mouth--Justin felt very tall, suddenly, and a bit gawky. 

"Um," he said, closing his eyes and finding AJ's mouth with his lips. "Is there anything you...especially like? Or should I just... " 

"Just go with it, Justin," he said, thankfully not sounding annoyed or impatient. "Just go with what feels right. You aren't going to shock me--trust me, I've seen it all. Have fun." 

"Fun, right," Justin murmured, shaking himself out of it. He knew how to do this. "Here, ba- AJ," he said, cupping the back of AJ's neck gingerly and rolling them over so AJ was underneath. That, at least, he did smoothly, then closed his eyes again to start nuzzling at AJ's neck. 

"That's more like it," AJ murmured, rolling his body smoothly up against Justin's, making it so obvious he danced for a living. Those _hips_. "That's what I've been waiting for." 

Even if AJ was still just trying to relax him, hearing him react like that excited Justin even more. He wrapped a large hand around one of those slinky hips and traced the edges of one of AJ's tattoos with the tip of his tongue. "Did you shower?" he murmured, tasting a trace of soap and none of the club smells that he knew covered his own skin. 

"Are you suggesting I stank, before?" asked AJ with a laugh. "Yeah, I showered and changed when I got in. But you aren't here to talk about that, are you..." He leaned in against Justin and closed his teeth lightly on Justin's earlobe. "You have other things on your mind." 

"You can talk about whatever you want," Justin insisted, hissing a little as AJ's teeth sank in. "I think you have a sexy voice." He smiled and sucked carefully at AJ's throat, concentrating on not leaving a mark. 

AJ didn't say anything to that, just licked around the rim of Justin's ear then pressed his face into Justin's neck and let his hands wander down his body. He seemed to know just exactly where to touch, exactly where to feel. 

"Yeah, so," Justin went on, a little less assuredly, knowing he'd be babbling soon enough if AJ stayed so quiet. "I like your songs. Um, not the ballads so much, but some of the dance tracks, they're pretty great. You've got some good writers." He pushed himself up a little so he was braced over AJ's body, giving both their hands room to maneuver. 

"Justin," said AJ, not quite growly, but almost. "Justin. There's a naked guy underneath you. I promise, if you're interested, we can talk about music after, okay? I know you like me." Then he smiled up at him. "I know, Justin." 

"Right, sorry," Justin replied quickly, reaching over to grab the lube AJ had brought out and uncapping it purposefully. "Shutting up now." His cheeks were burning again, he knew, but at least it hadn't been a fatal mistake. AJ looked more amused than anything. 

He reached up and placed both hands on Justin's cheeks, pulling him down for a kiss. "You're still too nervous," he said quietly. "I know you've done this before. You're very good with your hands. And lips..." 

"I'm not going to not be nervous," Justin replied apologetically. "I can't just forget who you are. But I promise I'll make it good anyway." He kissed AJ's jaw, then pulled back so he could run his palms down AJ's hips, watching his thumbs brush against the sharp tendons of his groin. 

"Well then, if talking about our songs helps you out, go for it," AJ said with a hiss of his own. "I can't promise you anything insightful, though. You'd have to sleep with Brian for that." 

"No thanks," murmured Justin, watching the way AJ's body moved languidly under his touch. "Don't you ever get nervous?" he asked. "About anything?" 

"Not anymore," said AJ, but the way his eyes flicked away, Justin thought maybe he was lying, "Well. Not often. I was nervous you wouldn't show up here, actually. But you did, so that took care of that." 

"I would have been crazy not to," Justin replied, slipping his hands around AJ's hips to cup his ass, squeezing it gently. AJ let his legs fall open, letting Justin slip between them. 

"I'd love to tell you I've never been stood up," he said, "but it happens. Guys get cold feet. Girls get cold feet, too. Usually Mike or Ed or Terry have to come up here and tell me I'll be spending the night alone after all. That's never fun." 

"I'm sorry," Justin said earnestly, kissing his cheek. "And I'm sorry if I did anything to make you doubt I would. I'm...a lot of things, but not really a tease." He braced his elbows on either side of AJ's head, settling carefully in the space he'd made between his legs, then very, very hesitantly slid his hips forward, letting the tip of his cock brush the skin behind AJ's balls. 

AJ's eyes closed and he moaned softly and wow, he really _did_ like having someone else on top. "How about you don't say sorry for anything," he murmured. "I'm very sure there's going to be nothing to be sorry for." 

"I'm crossing my fingers," Justin murmured, shifting back again, not wanting to presume too much. He reached for the lube instead, busying himself with spreading a lot--probably too much--on his fingers. "Don't forget," he whispered. "Tell me if I do something I'm not supposed to." 

"You'll know," promised AJ, his legs spreading even wider, shamelessly. "Don't let _me_ do anything you don't want me to." Justin guessed, from his insistence on that, that people let him do things in the past, just because he was AJ McLean. 

Slowly, _achingly_ slowly, Justin reached down between AJ's spread legs and rubbed some of the lubricant over the tight flesh of his opening. "You need to tell me," he repeated, then slipped just the tip of his middle finger into AJ's body. 

"I thought you said you weren't a tease?" AJ was grinning at him, though, and sliding his body back against Justin's finger. "Justin...relax...I'll tell you if there's something I don't like. But so far, I've liked it all." 

"How often do you...?" Justin slipped his finger a little deeper for emphasis. "Normally I'd go really slow with someone I don't know, but if you can take it..." He trailed off and twisted his hips a little to rub his erection lightly against the inside of AJ's thigh. 

"I can take it," said AJ without elaborating. From the way AJ was moving against him, Justin figured he was telling the truth about that, and had to wonder just how often AJ had sex, if he was this experienced at something he said he didn't get to do often. 

"Okay," he whispered, reaching for a condom and tearing it open with his teeth, then smearing the rest of the lube over his cock once he'd put it on. Justin didn't bother to use more than that once finger to stretch him; AJ'd known what Justin had been asking and his response was pretty clear. He just still wished AJ wasn't so...quiet. "I think you're really sexy," he said again, running his other hand over AJ's knee and pushing him open a little more. 

"If you knew how hot I think you are," said AJ, willingly spreading even further, "you'd stop being so nervous, Justin." He rested one hand on Justin's back and one on his cheek and lifted his legs off the bed, preparing to wrap them around Justin's body. "I was hard the whole time I was dancing, and it wasn't from those girls..." 

"I didn't know," Justin admitted again, letting his eyes drift down to AJ's erection. Which he hadn't even touched, yet--and AJ hadn't complained. He bit the inside of his cheek as he slipped a second finger inside AJ, just enough to hold him open. "I wish I could've danced with you." His own body tensed as he pushed the head of his cock against AJ, and moved his fingers out of the way. 

"I wish I could have danced with you, too," AJ murmured, for a moment sounding genuinely wistful. "But someone like me can't do that." Then he shut up, abruptly, and began pushing back against Justin, as though remembering to take advantage of what he _did_ have, of what was right there. 

"Oh," Justin gasped, and then he was clutching at AJ's hip, and his knee, and pushing himself inside AJ's tight, tight body. "Oh, you're...shit..." He forced himself to keep his eyes open, knowing he'd need to stop if he saw any discomfort on AJ's face, glad he had the self-control to do it. 

AJ threw his head back and closed his eyes and did wrap his legs around Justin tightly. He'd never, ever imagined AJ in this position, even with all the times he'd imagined the various ways he'd get together with one of his fantasy crushes. Once he pressed into AJ as far as he thought he could go, he paused, breathing carefully. It was uncomfortable, for him, to be with someone who wouldn't talk. He had confidence in his skill, that wasn't the problem; he just wanted to know AJ knew he was _there_. 

"Justin?" The first time he heard his name it was barely even a whisper; he wasn't even sure he'd heard it a moment later, thought maybe it was a figment of his imagination. But then it came again, a little louder. "Justin?" 

"Yeah," Justin grunted softly, finally moving his hands from AJ's hips and running them up the sides of his body. "M'here. Is this okay?" He was starting to sweat lightly, and dug his toes into the sheets to hold himself still. 

"Justin!" It was much louder this time, and AJ pushed against him, obviously trying to get him to move. But he still hadn't _said_ anything. "You are _too_ a tease..." 

"What?" Justin replied, letting his hands slip under AJ's back to curl up and over his shoulders, letting Justin dig just a little deeper. But he still didn't thrust. "How? I'm...what am I not doing?" 

He was close enough to hear AJ panting softly, eyes squeezed shut, pressing back against Justin as hard as _he_ could. "Are you...?" Suddenly AJ let out a laugh that sounded both surprised and nervous. "Are you waiting for...? Justin...this is fucking great...now _please_ fuck me. Please." 

Justin flushed as he pushed himself further inside AJ, twisting his hips just a little as he did. Then before he could think about it, he pulled out and shoved himself back in with the same twist. And then did it again. And then stopped, right where he'd started. 

"Fuck," AJ blurted out, gripping Justin tightly with his legs. "You know _exactly_ what you're doing here. Again." 

Allowing himself the briefest of self-satisfied smiles--he hadn't named it yet and supposed it would be #1--Justin closed his eyes and let himself finally feel what he was doing. He grabbed AJ's shoulders even tighter, getting a better hold, and pinned his upper body to the mattress as he drove himself deeper with every thrust. It was tight. Tight, tight, tight. His mind couldn't get past that, and the heat. 

When he looked down at him again, it was obvious to him AJ _wasn't_ so used to this after all, but just as obviously that he was loving what he was feeling. His skin was flushed, his eyes still closed, his lips parted and curled into just the tiniest of smiles. And his arms and legs both were clutching frantically at Justin's body. 

Justin shook his head, and reached down slowly to push one of AJ's legs higher in the air. "Is this why?" he whispered, kissing that knee and melting a little at the way the new angle just made him feel like a god. "Why you wouldn't tell me how?" 

"Is what why?" asked AJ breathily, his head rolling from side to side on the pillow. Justin hadn't been sure AJ was even listening anymore. 

"Nothing," Justin mumbled, quickening his strokes. He could be wrong, after all, and either way, bringing it up mid-fuck probably wasn't cool. 

AJ didn't reply, sinking into the pillows again and pushing back against Justin's thrusts as much as he could. Justin wasn't sure _he_ had ever enjoyed being fucked as much as it seemed like AJ was enjoying himself. Then one of AJ's hands fell away from Justin's back and wriggled between them to grab hold of his erection. 

"Oh, hey, no," whispered Justin, carefully freeing one of his own hands to peel AJ's fingers away. "I can do that. If you need it." He kept AJ's hand in his own, then carefully pressed it into the bed above his head. "Let's just see if you need it first." 

AJ looked shocked, and Justin wondered if anyone had ever treated AJ like this in bed before. He wouldn't back off though, not when it seemed like it was just exactly what AJ wanted. Then AJ just let his teeth sink into his lip and threw himself back against Justin's body with renewed energy. 

Justin made him slow down, taking his time to get his own knees underneath him and dip his hips so he could aim a little better. Aim right for AJ's prostate--tease around it, a little; push against it; and finally hold himself inside and not let up. He kept himself still except for his labored breathing, and gripped AJ's wrist almost painfully tightly. 

AJ used his other hand to grip the back of his own knee, pulling himself even wider as Justin finally thrust inside him again. His skin was slick with sweat now and he was practically radiating heat. His eyes stayed closed until he started coming; then they shot open and his jaw dropped and he stared at Justin like he couldn't quite believe what had just happened. 

Justin was ridiculously proud that he'd made AJ come just from fucking him. He smiled at him beatifically, then resumed thrusting--feeling almost like he could make this last, even with AJ's body squeezing him like a vise. 

AJ's eyes grew even wider at the additional stimulation and he let his leg fall against Justin's back again, letting go of his knee and tangling his hand in Justin's curls. That almost did it right there, and Justin knew he wasn't going to last much longer, despite his best intentions. 

He pushed deeper, moving his hand from AJ's wrist--still pinned above his head--to weave their fingers together. He let his belly trap AJ's spent cock between their bodies, a signal that he didn't want to come yet, but AJ didn't know what he was asking. Or maybe AJ didn't care, because then he tugged a little on one of Justin's ringlets and it was all over, Justin holding himself deep as his cock just burst inside AJ's body. 

AJ finally let out a sharp sound, somewhere between a moan and a gasp and a shout, and didn't release his grip on Justin's hair. "Oh God," he gasped out a few moments later, his eyes still wide and focused on Justin's face. He looked like he was going to stay something else but he didn't, just lay back with a shell-shocked look, his wet, reddened lips parted. 

"Um," Justin said, finally letting go of AJ's hand and coaxing AJ's legs back down on the bed. He rubbed his hips with warm palms and had never had less of a clue what to say or do next. 

Finally, AJ relaxed his grip on Justin's hair, letting his hand fall to gently cup the back of Justin's neck. Justin was still buried inside him, but AJ was showing no signs of wanting or needing him to go anywhere. "You relaxed yet?" he asked finally, a mischievous grin forming on his face. 

Justin snorted lightly. "Are you?" he retorted, feeling like more of AJ's equal than he had all night. He bent his head to kiss him, figuring he could at least get one in before AJ wanted him to leave. AJ kissed him back enthusiastically, though, his hand gripping Justin's neck just a little tighter to hold him there. 

"I'm nothing if not relaxed right now," he murmured against Justin's lips when he finally let him go. 

"That's good," Justin acknowledged. "So I...kind of need to move, here, I'm sorry." 

"Right, sorry," AJ murmured, letting his hand slide off Justin's neck. His legs were still spread wide and he was still flushed and he looked so, so well fucked. And fuckable. "Got lost for a second, there." 

"Cool," Justin smiled, still floored he'd had that effect on the other man. "I'll be right back," he promised, quickening his step to the bathroom when he considered that AJ might not really care one way or the other. He took care of the condom quickly enough, but spent a little more time cleaning up and splashing water on his face. Then he grabbed another washcloth and took it with him back to the bed, in case AJ wanted to clean up too. 

He was still laying there, spread across the bed, staring at the ceiling, and seemed so still, so quiet, that Justin really wished he knew what he was thinking. Wished he knew whether the next words out of AJ's mouth would be "Let's do it again" or "Put your clothes on." Justin didn't want to pretend like AJ wasn't there or anything as he went to sit on the edge of the bed beside AJ's hip, he just didn't want to disturb him. Folding the washcloth and putting it on the bedside table, he started rubbing at an old bruise on his thigh as he waited for AJ to say _something_. 

"And you were worried about _me_ being quiet," said AJ, breaking the silence as he turned his head to look at Justin. "So was it everything you hoped it would be?" 

"What?" Justin asked. He hadn't really been thinking about himself since...well, since AJ had said that he didn't get someone to do what he really liked in bed that often. "I didn't...I hadn't actually thought through to that part," he finally admitted honestly. 

AJ lifted both eyebrows at him and propped himself up on an elbow. "Well," he said after an awkward moment of silence. "That was unexpected. Did you at least enjoy yourself?" 

"What?" Justin echoed. "What? Of... _yes_. God. I loved it." He reached out for AJ's arm but let his hand fall to the bed before he actually made contact. "I just...you were making it maybe sound like it was something other than...what I thought it was. You know. What you said earlier. Just two...men. Is that..." He trailed off, realizing that maybe he was still supposed to be starstruck. 

"Justin?" said AJ, giving him a grin and reaching out to shake his arm. "Let's try that again in English." 

"Yes," Justin exhaled. "I enjoyed myself a lot. I'm...I'm a little lost right now, but I'm not confused about that part, at least." He bit his lip to keep from asking AJ the same question. 

AJ patted the bed next to him "What're you lost about?" he asked, seeming completely guileless. He gave Justin another mischievous grin. "Was it so good it scrambled your brains? Cause I know _that_ feeling..." 

"I really liked it," Justin said again. "I just...did you want me to thank you, and leave? I'm trying to figure out the whole 'everything I hoped it would be' question." 

AJ gaped at him, then laughed. "Jeez, Justin," he said. "Just relax. I meant exactly what I said. I'm not Nick. We have until just before dawn until you'll probably have to go, and I was figuring you'd want to stay." 

Justin looked down at his hands, placed in his lap to cover some of his nakedness. "Like I said, I hadn't...it's really weird, but I didn't think about how good it would be. Maybe I just knew it would." He smiled sort of shyly. "I'm glad it was good for you, AJ. I was thinking about that the whole time." 

"I hope you don't think I say this to everyone when I tell you that was some of the best sex I've ever had. And I've _had_ professional sex, so I have a basis for comparison." 

"So you'll pay me?" Justin asked with a straight face, then let himself chuckle happily. "Well, it takes two people," he reminded him. "Thanks for...you know, relaxing me enough to make it nice. Good, I mean." 

"Well, if that's relaxed, I'd hate to see you nervous," said AJ. Justin found himself liking this post-coital AJ, and not just because he was a huge, huge star. "Listen, I should get your number," AJ went on. "Since you're from the hometown and all. We're heading out again tomorrow--and god help those bastards if they don't let me go home for at least a little while first--but we're wrapping up the tour in a couple weeks." 

"Okay," Justin smiled, hoping his eagerness didn't show too much. AJ could be just being polite--god knows _he'd_ asked for a guy's number he never intended to call--but AJ didn't have to do that. Especially not if he still expected Justin to stay. "I might not be nervous, at all, next time." 

"Well, then again, if it was the nervousness that got you to fuck me like _that_ ," said AJ, immediately leaning over towards the bedside table to track down a pen and paper, "then I can't say I really mind it so much at all." 

Justin watched him, knowing he was grinning stupidly-- _stupid #1000_ \--and took the pen when it was offered. He jotted down his number and when he handed the paper back, AJ tucked it away safely, like he really didn't want to lose it. 

"It wasn't just nervousness," Justin promised him after a moment. "Just wait. Next time. Um...if there is one, of course." 

"Well of course there will be," said AJ easily. "I don't think you're gonna turn out to be the freaky stalker type. And you're fun. And you have the most beautiful smile." Right that moment Justin memorized which one it was, and whatever he'd called it before, now it was just _AJ #1_.


End file.
